In Cinders
by phoenixtine128
Summary: What if Warren Peace isn't the only one with dangerous powers in Sky High? What if there was another who was even more dangerous? And it turns out that Warren Peace may be the only person who's immune to her powers. Then there's also the trouble of a supervillain breaking out of prison who seems to have it with Warren and the new student. (Warren/OC)
1. Prologue: It was an Accident

**In Cinders**

**Summary:** What if Warren Peace isn't the only one with dangerous powers in Sky High? What if there was another who was even more dangerous? And it turns out that Warren Peace may be the only person who's immune to her powers. Then there's also the trouble of a supervillain breaking out of prison who seems to have it with Warren and the new student. (Warren/OC)

**Prologue: It was an Accident**

Ever heard of the story of Batman? Not about his fear of bats or how he decided to be a superhero. But of the rich kid who got orphaned because some thief killed his parents right in front of him? Yeah, that's nearly what happened 10 years ago to Isabelle Evans.

It was Christmas Eve and the Gala Night for The Nutcracker ballet where 6-year-old Isabelle Evans was cast. The night was truly beautiful. Like it came out straight from a Christmas post-card; it was snowing, and lights were tinkling at every lamppost. Fairy lights were streamed around tree branches, giving them that sparkly glow. And the theatre was packed with patrons who were spending Christmas Eve watching the ballet.

Lindsay and Harold Evans were sitting in the front row, excited to see their daughter at her first major performance.

"Did you bring the camera, dear?" said Lindsay.

"Yep, I got it right here."

"Do you think she needs us backstage?"

"Her teachers said that everything is in order. I'm sure Belle will be fine. Besides, the show's about to start."

"Oh, alright."

Lindsay was bouncing in her seat while waiting for the curtains to rise. And when it did, she immediately searched for her daughter.

Belle was wearing the cutest pink colored tutu. With her white blond hair pulled back in a tight bun and her pale skin is colored with light touches of makeup. Her sweet heart-shaped face was accented by that beautiful smile she was wearing upon seeing her mother wave at her.

The thing about Isabelle was that as young as she is, she was already dubbed by her teachers as a "Sun Child". Her light demeanor and wisdom is remarkable for her age, bringing positivity and joy to anyone who meets her. An oxymoron to her odd-looking eyes which brings a slight bout of fear and surprise when you first look at them.

When Isabelle was born, her parents were taken aback the moment she opened her eyes. It was reminiscent of her grandmother's in her mother's side. They were the brightest shade of scarlet with faint hints of yellow. Like a gentle flame was burning within. And from then on, they knew that Belle was special. A super, like her grandparents on both sides.

Lindsay and Harold, despite being born from Superhero parents, did not inherit any of their parents' powers. Though a rare case, they were both grateful for not inheriting the super-gene.

Harold was taking a video of the whole play and both parents were quite proud to see their daughter doing what she loves best. When the play ended, Lindsay was in tears. When the curtains closed, they stood up and went straight to the backstage and searched for their daughter.

They saw Belle with her classmates hugging and congratulating for a job well done.

"Belle! Honey!" called her mother.

"Mom! Dad!" she ran towards them and gave them hugs.

"For you, darling. You were amazing up there!" Harold handed Belle a small teddy bear wearing a nutcracker costume, holding a red rose.

"Thanks, daddy!"

"Come on, we have dinner reservations at The Starlight to celebrate!" her mother said as she handed Belle her fur coat.

"Alright! Let me just say goodbye to my classmates." Belle ran back to her group and said her farewells.

To say that the Evans' were rich people was an understatement. Because of their parents being superheroes, Lindsay and Harold inherited all their fortune from their crime-fighting, including their business in the pharmaceutical and hospital industry. And thus, both Lindsay and Harold became doctors.

When they reached the parking lot, they were surprised to see someone they never thought they'd see again.

"Good evening brother." Said by the dark figure standing by their car. Harold stopped his wife and child and stood in front of them while Lindsay held Belle against her, shielding her from the man's view.

"Marcus." Said Harold in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Who is he, mommy?" asked Belle who was shushed by her mother.

"Why, Harold. You didn't tell me you had a child." Said Marcus.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Tsk tsk. Always the impatient one."

"What do you want?"

At that, Marcus revealed himself and faced the family of three. Belle was surprised to see his marred face; like a big animal with claws swiped across from his forehead down to his left jaw. His right eye was nothing but white because of the damage. Belle was horrified to see the murderous look the man held along with his disfigured face. She shivered in her mother's arms.

"You. Your family." Answered Marcus.

"Why?" Harold asked.

"You took everything from me." he said sadly. "I was father's eldest! And yet, he gave everything to you!" he yelled.

Belle was surprised to hear that her father has a brother. All along, her parents were known to be only children.

"You're a bastard child, Marcus! Your mother used my father!" yelled Harold.

Belle was confused to say the least.

"Hah. My mother's power of persuasion. Funny how two supers would have a child and that child ended up inheriting one of their powers." Marcus grinned evilly.

"Leave my girls out of this. Please!" Harold begged.

Whatever powers Marcus inherited; Harold knew that it was destructive. His mother's powers were of hypnotism, once you hear her voice of command, you'll be nothing but a puppet. Their father's power was even more destructive, being able to decimate anything he touches, so long as he wills it.

"Oh? I wouldn't be worried about them." Marcus smirked. Suddenly his eye glowed blue.

"It's you who should take that gun out of your jacket pocket and point it to your wife." he said in an eerie voice.

Belle's eyes went wide as her father's eyes shadowed over and followed his orders. Harold's hand was shaking was he held the gun, pointing it to his wife. Lindsay shielded Belle away.

"Harold, please." cried Lindsay. But her husband was already far gone in the hypnotism that he couldn't control himself.

"No use begging, dear Lindsay. He can't hear you." Marcus said.

"Daddy, no!" yelled Belle.

"Shoot her." Commanded Marcus.

Lindsay's eyes bugged out and Belle screamed as a gunshot was heard. Lindsay was still in tears as she slid down the ground, and into Belle's arms covering her with her blood.

"Mommy!" Belle cried as she looked at her mother's tear-stained face.

"Sweetie…" whispered Lindsay.

Marcus chuckled as he watches Lindsay fade away in her daughter's arms. Belle was hyperventilating with fear and anger at Marcus.

"Now, your daughter." Commanded Marcus. Belle looked at her father and saw the tears in his eyes.

Despite Marcus's commands, Harold knew what he had done, and he was fighting against it. Belle saw this and pleaded with her father.

"Daddy, please. I know you can hear me. Please." Belle begged.

"Now now, princess. You know that's not going to work."

"Daddy.."

"Shoot her now, Harold!" yelled Marcus.

Belle, again, screamed as a gunshot was heard but was surprised that the bullet missed her and merely grazed her cheek. Marcus was surprised by this and took out his own gun and pointed it to Harold.

"Kill her now!" Marcus commanded.

Belle stood up and ran towards her father, but another gunshot aimed at her was missed and made her stop in shock.

"Oh, you, useless fool." Marcus said before pulling the trigger on Harold, straight to his skull.

Belle was frozen in shock as she watches her father fall to the ground, dead.

Time seemed to stop for a second for Belle as she slowly looked up to her parents' killer. Then everything happened too fast.

Belle's eyes suddenly glowed bright red as she rushed towards her parents' killer in anger, tackling him to the ground. Marcus tried to push her off him but when he touched her, he burned. Like Belle turned into a hot soldering iron turned to maximum. Then he felt it, as soon as little Belle sat up from where she tackled him, he felt his stomach burn. Like a fire was lit within him; and that fire was quickly spreading across his limbs like he was being roasted from within.

Marcus looked at Belle and saw her fiery eyes stained with tears and chuckled. Fire erupted from his nose and mouth as blood also ran from them. He instantly knew that Belle had inherited her grandparents' powers. A combination of both pyrokinesis and internal decay when touched. And suddenly, he combusted into flames, incinerated from within and fell to the ground, burning.

Belle sat on the ground in shock, eyes still glowing, wondering what had happened. She heard a whimper behind her and saw her mother move a little; and the glow in her eyes dimmed.

"Mommy?" she whimpered. She stood up and kneeled beside her mother. As she did, sirens were blaring out on the street and into the theatre's parking lot.

"Sweetie…" Lindsay breathed.

"You're gonna be okay, right?" Belle whispered as she cried, holding her mother's hand.

Linsay nodded. "Everything's going to be okay. Just promise me something." Belle was sniffing as she nodded.

"Stay strong, my love. Stay kind, stay brave and true." Lindsay whispered as she handed Belle something and pushed in to her palms. "You're going to meet someone who will help you. You can trust him, don't let him intimidate you. This…show him this…and he will know who you are."

"Who-"

"I love you, darling. I'll always will." Lindsay whispered as she took her last breath.

"Mommy? Mommy?!" Belle shook her mom but was unresponsive.

A female officer stood behind her and watched as Marcus's body burned. She was about to touch Belle's shoulder when she was stopped by another female who shook her head.

"Sweetie." called the other woman. Belle looked up and saw a woman wearing a red cape and white superhero attire. She immediately knew who this woman was.

"You're…"

Jetstream smiled and kneeled before her.

"Come on. I'll take you somewhere safe. But, can you wear this for me? It's getting colder out here." Jetstream said as she handed Belle a pair of pink gloves. The same color as her tutu that was now stained with blood.

Belle nodded and before she put on the gloves, she finally saw what her mother handed her. A gold necklace with a tiny pendant shaped like a ball of flame with a red ruby inside. Jetstream saw the necklace and her eyes widened and looked at burned man in front.

She looked back at Belle and said, "Do you want me to put that on you?" and held her hand out. Belle nodded and gave Jetstream the necklace. She clasped the necklace on Belle and finally decided. She knows what to do now.

"I'm gonna take her to the station, officer."

Belle looked up in surprise and fear and wondered, why was Jetstream taking her to the station? Jetstream saw the fear and knelt back to Belle.

"Don't worry. You're not in trouble. I'll make sure of it. I'm just going to introduce you to someone, okay?" Jetstream gently said. Belle nodded and wiped her tears away.

The officer nodded and Jetstream wrapped her arms around Belle.

"Hold on tight, we're going to fly, okay?" Belle simply nodded and placed her arms around Jetstream, and they flew to the station.

When they landed, Belle was surprised that what Jetstream meant by station was the Maxville High Security Prison.

They walked to the gates and Jetstream nodded to the officers guarding the gates. Belle held on to Jetstream's hand and kept her head low.

Jetstream started talking to some officer in a desk. That's when Belle finally looked back on what happened that night.

_'How did Mr. Marcus suddenly burn?'_ she thought_. 'Why did he laugh before dying?'_

_'What's going to happen, now?'_ she worried.

When Belle heard Marcus' name she looked up.

"It was an accident." Jetstream said.

"Still, we need to question her." the officer looked down on Belle and she hid behind Jetstream.

"Not before she meets him. And I doubt this little girl here knows what she's done."

"What did I do?" Belle quietly asked.

"Well, you-" James was about to start.

"James!" Jetstream reprimanded.

"Was it me? Did I kill him?" Belle asked fearfully. "Is that why we're here?" she started breathing hard and her eyes flickered. James was taken aback by her eyes.

"Belle, sweetie…" Jetstream soothed.

"It was an accident." Belle responded quietly, tearing up at the realization that it she might have killed her parents' killer.

"It was an accident. Yes, it was." Jetstream agreed, her eyes tearing up as she looked at the beautiful child in front of her filled with fear. "It's going to be alright." She added.

James looked at the child and sighed, "This way, then." He said as he lead them out and to one of the solitary cells.

"How is he?" Jetstream asked.

"He's been…quiet." James answered as he unlocked the door.

When they entered the cell, Belle saw a tall man with long black hair, huddled to a corner. When he looked up, Belle was taken aback by the man's eyes. It was fiery red, like hers. Belle hid behind Jetstream as soon as the man looked at her.

"That necklace…" he whispered as he pointed at Belle.

"Good evening." Jetstream greeted the man, but his eyes were fixed on Belle and her necklace.

"Belle, I'd like you to meet Barron Battle."

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**A/N: Soooo...what do you guys think?**


	2. Chapter 1: First Day High

**A/N: Disney's Sky High is not mine. Enjoy this update!**

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**Chapter 1: First Day High**

**9 years later**:

"Ms. Belle are you ready yet?" knocked Albert, the butler.

"In a minute, Albert." Belle called back from her room.

It's been almost 9 years since that tragic night when Isabelle Evans lost her parents and realized what she truly is. Everything in her parents' name was handed down to her and her family's trusted butler, Albert Rhodes.

Albert was also a super. Hired by her mother's grandparents to protect and care for their family. Conveniently, Albert's powers were that of healing and immunity to diseases. Because of his regenerative powers, Albert was considered an immortal; not to mention, an amazing chef.

He retired as a superhero during the 60s when Belle's grandmother was born. And because of his abilities, he has been of a great help when her grandmother started acquiring her pyrokinetic abilities that came in strong when it emerged, causing multiple injuries to the family. He healed them and trained her with her abilities. The same way Albert helped train Belle.

Belle went down to the dining room to see Albert preparing the table.

"So, how do I look? Too much?" Belle asked.

She was wearing a blue, long sleeved dress that went a little past her mid-thighs, black tights and her brown boots. Her long white blond hair was left down in cascading waves that just went a little past her mid-back. She was also wearing her black silk gloves that helps contain her powers. She was also wearing a black beret to compliment her get-up.

"Beautiful as always, Miss. But, you can do without the hat. You won't be able to wear it inside the school anyway." Albert answered.

"Oh okay." Belle said as she sat down the table.

"I heard your mentor's son is also in Sky High." Albert stated as he poured water for Belle.

"He's a sophomore, I think. I didn't exactly interact with him while his father trained me. In fact, I only saw him once when we were kids."

"Try to be nice when you meet him."

"Aren't I always?"

"Of course, Miss. I just heard rumors that he's not quite as approachable."

"Kind of like his dad when I first met him." Belle chuckled at the memory of an angry Barron Battle upon seeing the necklace around her neck, which she never took off since that night.

"The school bus will arrive in 15 minutes, Miss. If you want to bring something for lunch, I prepared your favorite." Albert said, handing her a bento with her favorite onigiris inside.

"Thanks, Al. You're the best." she kissed his cheek and finished her breakfast.

She stood at the bus stop and waited for the school bus. She looked up to the sky and held her necklace.

"Mom, Dad, this is the day. I'm not sure if I'm excited or nervous. I wish you guys were here to help me." She whispered.

"I miss you guys so much." She started to tear up as she thought of her parents.

When the yellow bus appeared in front of her, the door opened to a smiling driver.

"Is this the school bus to Sky High?" she asked and suddenly the bus doors closed in a snap.

"Ssh! Don't want the villains hear you, do you?" said the driver.

Belle smiled sheepishly and apologized. Not many students have boarded the bus, but she could see some are already sitting with someone. Not wanting to socialize yet, she went to the back rows and found a seat by the window.

As they started picking up more students, she noticed most of them were in pairs. Including a guy wearing blue, red and white colors, as if he represents all of America, and a girl with red hair and green shirt. He asked the same question as she did, and the bus driver responded the same way.

"What's your name kid?" the driver asked.

"Uhm, Will Stronghold."

This caught Belle's attention as she remembered two other people with the same surname.

"The son of The Commander and Jetstream?" the driver asked enthusiastically.

"Uuuh, yeah." the guy replied awkwardly as the driver shook his hand.

That confirmed her thoughts. This guy was the son of the woman who saved her.

The driver tried to shoo away two kids in the front to let Will and his friend sit, but the two decided against it and went to the back rows. To her surprise, the girl with the red hair sat beside her and Will sat at the other side.

The red-haired girl looked at her and when she looked back, she was caught in a surprise by her odd eyes. Belle just smiled at her and the red-haired girl recovered.

"Hi, I'm Layla." she introduced and held out her hand for me to shake.

"Isabelle." she said as she shook the girl's hand.

"Are you a freshman too?" Layla asked.

"Yeah." She answered meekly.

"I'm so nervous."

Belle simply smiled and before she can reply, the bus driver announced that their next stop is Sky High.

The bus ride was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. The moment that they were plummeting, the screaming began. Belle merely closed her eyes and held on tight to her seatbelt. She only opened them when she felt like they were soaring.

"There she is folks, Sky High!" the bus driver introduced.

She was awed by how the school looks. It was like a giant UFO with a city on top. Everything was in it, the school itself was surrounded by a lush forest and the school building was huge. She was excited to tour around the school and have a look at their dance studio. Even after that tragic event, Belle made sure to continue dancing ballet, for her parents.

When they reached the entrance, there were two guys who introduced themselves as the welcoming committee without looking the least bit friendly. Belle was not surprised when they asked for a fee that doesn't even exist. Suddenly a beautiful girl wearing a pink cardigan arrived and stopped the guys.

"Hi! My name's Gwen Grayson, student body president." She introduced herself.

She looked intently at Gwen and listened as she stated the rules and regulations that would, as she put it, "prevent us from falling from the edge of the school". When she finished, she started leading us to the gym.

"Rules? What rules?" said Will looking like he just got out of a daze. Layla just shook her head and they proceeded to follow Ms. Grayson

They gathered around in front of a podium when suddenly a bright white light burst from the door and went to the podium, transforming into a woman wearing an all-white garb.

"Good Morning! I am Principal Powers and welcome to Sky High." She introduced, smiling at everyone.

"In a moment, you'll be undergoing Power Placement, where you'll be classified either in Hero or Her Support, depending on your powers." She continued.

"Power placement?" asked Will.

"Sounds fascist." Layla commented and Belle silently agreed. Though Belle was more nervous now, how was she going to present her powers without harming anyone? She still doesn't have full control over her own abilities, thus, the gloves.

"This moment will be the start of your heroic journey." She stood now in front of the podium and started glowing. "Comets Away!" she yelled, and she transformed back to a ball of light and went out of the gym.

They turned around and saw another platform emerging from the ground carrying a man in gym clothes.

"Alright, listen up! My name is Coach Boomer. You may know me as 'Sonic Boom'. You may not." he started.

"Now, I want each of you to stand in this platform and show me your powers and I'll decide whether you're a Hero or a Sidekick. Are we clear?" he added in a stern voice.

There was a chorus of "Yes, sir!" among the freshmen but that wasn't enough for the Coach.

"I said…" he took a deep breath and yelled in his sonic boom voice, "ARE WE CLEAR?!" there was a gush of wind and a deep vibration from the gym ground and walls. The freshmen shivered and yelled the same answer in a louder tone.

"Good." Coach Boomer smirked.

"Let's start with, you!" he pointed at a lanky kid with glasses and curly hair.

"Me?" the kid asked.

"Name and show me your power." He stated as the kid went up to the platform.

"I-I'm Larry." The kid stuttered.

"Little Larry." Coach Boomer mocked. "Power up!"

Suddenly, the lanky kid transformed into a giant human shaped rock, and roared.

"Hmm…CAR!" yelled Boomer and pressed a button from the remote he was holding then a car fell from the ceiling. Larry The Boulder caught it easily and he smirked.

"Big Larry. Hero!" Boomer exclaimed.

Belle looked around her and saw some freshmen who looked confident and some looked as nervous as she is.

Boomer called upon student after student making them show their superpowers. The girl called Magenta turned into a guinea pig, a kid named Ethan just melted and a tall guy with platinum blond hair declared that he glows but none of us could see it. They were all deemed sidekicks by Coach Boomer until he pointed at me.

"You! Your next! Name and power?"

"I, uhmm…" she hesitated.

"I don't really want to use my powers here." she pleaded.

"Are you whining? What's your name?" Coach Boomer threatened.

"N-No, sir. I- I'm Isabelle Evans, sir." Boomer eyed her without so much as getting intimidated by her fiery eyes.

"Evans, eh? Yeah, I've heard of you. Principal Powers warned me about you. Still, you need to show these twerps your abilities."

"B-but-" she tried to protest. She was surprised though when Coach Boomer presented her with a potted plant that emerged from the platform.

Belle looked at Boomer, nervous at what she was about to do. She took a deep breath and took off one of her gloves.

"You might want to stand back, Coach." She whispered. They were surprised that Boomer complied.

She touched one of the leaves of the plant and her eyes glowed. Suddenly the whole plant caught on fire and everyone else stood back. They watched as the plant turned to ashes and nearly all of them looked at Belle in fear and fascination.

"Any limitations?" Boomer asked.

"I need to have physical contact. And I can only do anything that's living or that's been alive before." she answered meekly and refuse to look at anyone.

"Well then. You better keep those gloves on. Hero!" exclaimed Boomer.

Belle immediately wore back her gloves and went down the platform. When she reached the crowd, everyone parted away from her. She stopped in her tracks for a while before moving on towards the exit, trying to hide her tears.

Layla helplessly watched from the back of the crowd. She wanted to comfort her, but she hesitated; not because she feared her but because she doesn't know if she'll be welcomed.

At lunch time, she sat alone at a table near the window. She heard voices coming in, one of which was complaining that he got put into sidekick and that Boomer will regret making that decision. It was the tall guy who claims that he glows. She looked away and took out her bento box.

She was about to take off her gloves to eat when a shadow loomed over her.

"Uhm, is this seat taken?" Layla asked Belle softly.

"Uhm." Belle was surprised that even after her display, this girl still wants to stand close to her. Belle shook her head to which Layla replied with a big smile and sat down next to her.

Belle took off one of her gloves that was far away from Layla, so as not to scare her. She liked the friendly girl. She started picking up an onigiri and munched away.

However, ever the tactless dude, the tall guy who glows just asked, "Why are we sitting here? Isn't she the one with the scary power?"

The purple girl just looked at him annoyingly and said, "Her eyes glows when she's powered up. Obviously, she's harmless. Unless, you provoke her. Right?" she looked to me for an answer and I just nodded.

"That was awesome what you did back there, congratulations on making hero." Layla said.

"Uhm, thanks?" Belle replied and looked over the rest who sat at the table.

"By the way, this is Magenta, Ethan, Zach and Will." Layla pointed to the purple girl, the kid with glasses, the tactless dude who glows and to Will.

"Hi." she shyly replied and waved her non-gloved hand.

"You said your name was Evans, right?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are you related to The Grim Reaper?"

"He's my grandfather. Dad's dad."

"That's awesome dude!"

"The Grim Reaper?" Will asked.

"He has one of the most dangerous powers, can make anything he touch decay." Ethan answered.

"Ironically, grandma is a healer." Belle added.

"Maybe that's why they work." Layla commented with a smile.

"Is it just me or is that guy really staring at me?" Will suddenly asked quietly.

All of us looked ahead and saw who he was talking about. Belle immediately recognized the features; brooding brown eyes, strong jaw, and angry look on his handsome face and that tell-tale red streak in his hair. He looks quite similar to his father, except that his eyes were that of his mother.

"Dude. That's Warren Peace!" Ethan exclaimed.

"Warren Peace?" Will asked.

"His mom's a superhero and his dad's a supervillain, Barron Battle." Layla answered. At the mention of Barron Battle being a supervillain, Belle's eyebrows furrowed.

"What does that have to do with me?" Will asked.

"Well, your dad put his dad in jail. Quadruple life sentence." Ethan answered.

"He can't get parole until after his third life." Magenta answered.

"Great. It's my first day and I already have an archenemy." Will said dejectedly.

"I wouldn't say so." Belle suddenly said.

"What?" Will looked at her.

"Just because his father's known to be a villain, doesn't mean he is."

"But he's looking at Will like he wants to kill him." Ethan said.

"He's angry. He didn't grow up with his dad around, and most people easily judge him for being a villain's son." She tried to explain. But deep within her, she knows that the anger was the fact that he was easily judged by being a villain's son. More so than growing up without his dad or that The Commander agreed to put Barron Battle in jail.

"She's right. I guess if I was in his shoes, I'll be angry too." Layla agreed.

"Just don't cross him, then." Magenta simply said.

"Is he still looking?" Will asked. Layla shook her head when in fact Warren was still looking at Will intently.

"No?" Will looked back at Warren who turned back around immediately when he saw that Warren was still staring.

"I thought you said he wasn't?" Will said annoyingly.

I looked back at Warren and was caught in a surprise when he turned his stare at me. I gave him a small smile and went back to eating when he looked away.

Barron Battle was known to the world as the notorious supervillain that tortured and killed other humans, both super and normal. He was also known for nearly destroying his own family, stating that he was abusing his wife with his powers.

Belle was surprised that Will doesn't know the truth; that Barron Battle was, or rather, is best friends with his parents.

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**A/N: R&R please. 3**


	3. Chapter 2: Sunday Well-Spent

**A/N: New chapter is up! We get to see some of the truth who Barron Battle is in this story. 3 Hope you like it!**

**P.S. Sky High and its characters belong to Disney.**

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**Chapter 2: Sunday Well-Spent**

The first week of classes was already stressful. Especially when you have Mr. Medulla as a teacher. Their first meeting consists of research and lecture on the uses, benefits and disadvantages, and how to build a shrink ray. He had the gall to say that the thing was silly, but he had to admit that it was quite useful.

Even her Friday night and Saturday were packed with assignments and there were quizzes already scheduled in the next week, so she was holed up in her room on Saturday, studying. But Sunday was training day, and now Belle and Albert were on their way to Maxville High Security Prison to visit her mentor.

During the week, she was able to become closer with the sidekicks, now calling them as her friends. Most of the freshmen Hero class were either afraid of her, jealous of her, or bullies her for being friends with the sidekicks.

After that first day in power placement, the rumors about her powers spread like wildfire. Some believed that she was bound to become a villain since her powers were like that of Barron Battle. Some even claimed that she was the secret sister of Warren Peace, which irked him. Belle thought it was ridiculous, especially with how different they look.

But because of the rumors, Warren Peace stares at her now more often than he does Will. He still sits at the same table every lunch, alone. She was even tempted to sit next to him to introduce herself when her period before lunch was dismissed early. After all, he was her mentor's son.

When they arrived in prison, Albert accompanied her inside until they reached Barron's solitary cell.

"I'll come back for you at lunch, Miss." Albert announced.

"Alright. Drive safely, Albert." She kissed his cheek in which he smiled at.

"Try not to get too much internal burns today, please?" Albert pleaded with a smirk. Belle just chuckled and went inside.

Since Belle grew up without her parents, Albert stood up to be her father figure in which Albert reciprocated and treated her like she was his own daughter. Sometimes even spoiling her, especially when an occasion was coming up.

When she went inside, she already saw her mentor stretching his limbs. He was wearing that black and white stripes prison garb. His long hair tied back in a low ponytail and his strong features was relaxed.

"Hey, teach." Belle greeted.

"'Sup kid?" Barron greeted.

"How've you've been? You didn't miss me too much, did you?" Belle teased. Aside from Albert, Barron became some sort of a strict father figure to her.

Initially, their relationship was a little tense, especially when Belle discovered that the reason for his tension was the fact that Barron was in love with her mother when they were younger, and he was the one who gave the necklace she wears now.

But like the usual story of first loves, when Barron graduated from Sky High and Belle's mom got into medical school, things changed. Barron met Sasha Peace, a hydro and cryokinetic, and the only person who can counter his powers.

Since Sasha was known to be a superhero, their relationship was that of a cat and a dog. Until Sasha discovered the truth that Barron was a spy in a supervillain group called The Undertakers. Barron was an informant and Sasha became the messenger to The Commander and his group. They both fell fiercely in love with each other and so Barron had to break up with Belle's mom, who then was already falling in love with her classmate, Harold Evans.

It was an amicable break up, so in the end, they became the closest friends. Barron was devastated when he learned what happened to Lindsay Evans nee Waterson.

"Not in the least." Barron teased back with a smirk. Belle simply laughed.

"Shall we?" Belle asked, pointing towards his door where an officer was already waiting to lead them to the training room.

"We shall." Barron offered his arm in which Belle took.

For nearly 9 years, Barron trained Belle intensively in hand-to-hand combat; also teaching her how to wield weapons such as a dagger, a sword, and bow and arrows. Her personal favorite was the long dagger he gave her on her 12th birthday, which she learned easily.

Since she needed physical contact to use her powers, he taught her how to sneak up to her opponents and find even the smallest patch of skin in order to incinerate them. They trained well and hard every Sunday to the point that Belle sometimes acquire injuries that if it wasn't for Albert's powers, she'll end up being crippled. Her mentor was not a kind teacher. He even said once that the point of their training was for her to survive in battle with the most ruthless villains. Especially since Barron saw the worst of them in his years.

Today was the same. In the mornings, they trained physically. In the early afternoon, they meditate; which was difficult for Belle, especially when you have severe injuries and internal burns. In the late afternoon, Barron would help her control her abilities.

Barron's power was like Belle's, only he didn't need physical contact. He only needed a certain distance, a 10 feet radius, and he could incinerate anyone he chooses. This was difficult for Belle, as neither was immune to each other despite having similar powers. Therefore, Barron trained her to withstand pain and build her endurance along with precise control.

If not for Albert, Barron would be dead too, especially during Belle's younger years when Belle was constantly accompanied by the loyal butler because she couldn't gauge yet how much power she should release. Only until recently when Belle was able to control it did Barron deemed it safe for Albert to leave in the mornings and come back during lunch to heal him, in case Belle got too emotional from Barron's mocking and provoking.

When Belle gets too upset with her mentor, Barron always finds a way to make it up her. Despite understanding that it was only training, her PTSD from her parents' death sometimes acts up and the two father figures had to console her after.

"I met your son." Belle suddenly said in the middle of sparring.

"I know." he said as he did a roundhouse kick which Belle blocked. "He was here yesterday, training with me. Said something about a blonde girl who keeps staring at him in lunch." He chuckled after blocking Belle's right hook.

"Like he doesn't stare behind me when I'm with my friends." She said dodging a left uppercut.

"He's curious about you. Says you look familiar." He said as he released some his power and Belle grunted in response.

"We saw each other once, remember? When he visited with his mom when I was eight. I was leaving when they arrived."

Belle hissed in pain as she felt the burn in her stomach. Belle's eyes glowed and retaliated with a sidewind kick, causing Barron to land on his back. Belle did a cartwheel, using his abs as leverage before landing behind him. Barron grunted in pain as he felt his muscles burn from the contact. Coughing a bit, he stood up and faced her again.

"Well, you're kinda hard to miss." he said as he straightened his posture.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Belle scrunched her nose.

"I mean…" he lunged at her and she dodged with a kick which he maneuvered and hit her chin with his elbow. Belle was stunned for a moment and recovered.

"I mean, my son took notice of you even when most girls around his age tries to get his attention. None of them succeeded and yet, you did without even trying." Barron smirked as he attacked her again.

Belle was able to block most of his attacks but grunted when he used his powers again, this time the burn was in her lungs. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself as she felt the suffocation from the burn. She coughed up blood and took another heave before wiping her mouth.

"Warren is an angry kid. Especially when most people view him as a soon-to-be villain. The girls who throw themselves at him only wants him because he's a 'bad boy'." He said while shaking his head.

"They don't bother knowing the truth behind his tough exterior." He continued.

Belle stood straight and took another deep breath.

"My son is not a push-over. I taught him that much. He knows who he is and I'm proud of him for being protective with his loved ones. I'm just sorry that people view him as such because nearly the whole world thinks his father is good for nothing asshole." He added as he walked closer to Belle to inspect the damage he did.

"Let's take a break. We've been at it for 3 hours already and my muscles are still sore from yesterday's training." He declared as he stretched his limbs again, focusing on stretching his abdominal muscles still in pain from her attack.

"We used to this for 5 hours straight." Belle sighed as she sat on the floor.

"I'm getting old, Belle. I'm not as energetic as you two." Barron chuckled.

"Your long exposure to solitary is dampening on your skills, teach. Isn't there a way to get you out yet? Let the world know that you're not the villain that they believe?"

"Not without the death of the all The Undertakers. Despite the leader being locked up, there are still others who are in hiding and I can't risk my family, the Strongholds and even you."

"We can handle ourselves-"

"You don't know them like I do." He interrupted. "They would stop at nothing until all supers are dead, even the sidekicks. They want to destroy Sky High and take Powers' Super Eye to take any unsuspecting super child and turn them into villains. If the kids refuse, they kill them in a snap." Barron explained.

"That's horrible. I can't believe anyone is capable of that." Belle was even more horrified now.

"They aren't. But if you have a leader who plays with your mind and convinces you to do her bidding, you're bound to bear it."

"The leader is a hypnotist?" she remembered Marcus.

"Worse, an illusionist. She'd play with your greatest fears, make you see something that's not there until you go insane; or threaten you, or confuse you. She'll make you question what's real and what's not."

"That's…disturbing."

"It is. I'm sure you haven't seen anyone in Sky High with those kinds of powers?" he asked

"So far, I haven't. The most dangerous one I've heard, next to mine at least, was your son's."

"Speaking of my son, I'd like you to try and get to know him. Be his friend, if you can."

"He's not exactly approachable, you know. He always has this brooding look on his face and when someone tries to get to his personal space, either you get the angry glare or get barbecued." She rolled her eyes when a memory came up of an early lunch hour and someone decided that it was okay to sit with him at his table.

Barron chuckled. "Unfortunately, all throughout his life, anyone who got close to him ends up betraying him. He can't help but think of the worst in others; it's his defense mechanism."

"So, what's makes you think he'll befriend me?" Belle raised her eyebrow at him.

"He already noticed you, means he's curious about you. That's got to count for something." Barron said as he stood up.

"He needs someone like you, Isabelle. Someone who knows the truth about him and his family. Someone who can be a source of hope that maybe he isn't alone in this cruel world. Sasha and I aren't enough, especially if I'm in this hole." He added.

"It's not gonna be easy." Belle hesitated. Though, she was also curious about Warren and really want to get to know him. After all, his dad also took a while to get close to and look at where they are now; Barron considers her as his daughter.

"I'm only asking you to try. If he starts to threaten you or hurt you in any way, let me know and you can stop. I'll teach him a lesson in being a gentleman the next time he visits." Barron smirked at that and Belle laughed.

"You're lucky that I'm already planning to try to get close to him. He's interesting." Belle shrugged and blushed a little.

For the past week that she has observed him, her curiosity developed into a small crush on the pyrokinetic. How can she not when she can't deny that the guy is attractive? Not to mention hot. Literally.

"Is that a blush I see?" Barron teased which caused Belle to redden even more.

"No. Shut up." Belle looked away and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Well, I'll be. My student has a crush on my son!" Barron exclaimed.

"I do not!" Belle tried to deny but she was never a liar. And Barron laughed heartily while Belle's eyes glowed in annoyance.

"Don't be embarrassed, Belle. I'm happy. At least you're not some harlot. Besides, I can't blame you. Where else would you think Warren got his looks from?" Barron wiggled his eyebrows and smiling like a goof.

"You're a conceited asshole." Belle deadpanned and Barron guffawed which was completely uncharacteristic of him.

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." Barron winked and Belle rolled her eyes.

"Come on. We've rested enough. Can we continue?" Belle asked in annoyance; her eyes still glowing as she stood up.

"Give me your worst." Barron smirked.

The training went well and as usual, it was tough. Before the both knew it, it was already time for Belle to get home.

"I think you can ditch the gloves, Belle." Barron said while stretching his sore limbs.

"What? Why?" her eyes widened at the idea.

"You've got it under control now. Even when you're powered up you can control how much power you release. I can barely feel the burns in my stomach now."

For the whole afternoon, all they did was to practice Belle's control. Barron served as a dummy and his muscles are sore from the stronger surges of her power while his organs are slightly burned from the weaker surges.

"What if I get upset? What if I get another panic attack? What if-" Belle panicked.

"Then you need to avoid touching other people or letting anyone touch you." Barron shrugged.

"It's too risky. Sky High has a lot of students and some of them even bump on me on purpose. What if I accidentally incinerate them?"

"Then this is even better practice for you. You can learn how to control your power surges."

"But-"

"No buts, Belle. You can't rely on your gloves forever. They've been in your hands for too long. You said a while ago that the solitary is weakening me. That goes the same for your gloves. You're maturing Belle and so are your powers. If you keep containing them while they grow, you might not be able to control them the next time you take your gloves off. Worse, your power may incinerate you while contained." Barron said seriously.

Belle understood that it made sense, but the idea still made her scared. She had no choice but to agree.

"Alright, then. But if I end up harming someone, I'll put them back on." Belle declared.

"Fine, but don't wear them for too long. An hour max, just until you can control yourself." He patted her shoulder.

At that moment, Albert arrived in the training room and saw them sitting in the middle.

"Hey, Albert." Barron greeted.

"Mr. Battle. Miss Belle." Albert greeted and raised his eyebrow at the sight. Both were covered in bruises and cuts.

"Didn't I tell you not to get too roughed up?" Albert sighed and Belle smiled sheepishly.

"We got too carried away. Sorry." Belle replied and smiled awkwardly. Barron chuckled.

"Don't blame her, Albert. She seems to have developed a crush that I constantly teased her about." Barron grinned.

"Hey! I thought my secret was safe with you?" Belle exclaimed.

"Miss Belle, I think I have the right to know who you are developing affections with, don't I?" Albert said in a serious note. However, deep inside, he was teasing her.

"I'm not in love with him." Belle argued.

"Not yet." Barron teased even more which caused Belle to roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Who might I ask is the unfortunate guy?" Barron chuckled at Albert who was trying to keep his tone serious.

"My son." Barron declared with a wide grin. Albert raised is eyebrow and smirked ever so slightly, trying to contain his amusement. He knew about the curiosity Belle has for the Peace kid and was wondering when she'll realize that she has been crushing on him.

"Interesting."

"Stop teasing, teach, or I won't let Albert heal you." Belle threatened and the two men chuckled.

Albert then proceeded with healing the two of them until it looks like nothing has happened. Barron was extremely grateful for Albert's abilities as even the sore muscles and injuries from the night before was healed.

"Thanks, Al. You're the best." Barron complimented.

"You're welcome, sir." Albert smiled genuinely.

"Well, we better get going. School tomorrow. Ugh." Belle declared.

"On a brighter note, Miss Belle, you get to see Mr. Peace tomorrow." Albert teased which caused Belle to blush.

"Al! Ugh. Bye, teach." Belle said angrily while the two men were chuckling. Albert bowed in farewell at Barron and lead the way out of the training room.

Belle was about to follow until Barron's statement stopped her.

"He works at The Paper Lantern every night except Saturdays. If you can't approach him at school, maybe you can at where he works. He'll be more accommodating there."

Belle turned back to her teacher and rolled her eyes.

"I'm glad it's you, Isabelle. I really am." Barron said with a melancholic look in his eyes and Belle wondered what he meant by that.

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**A/N: A super eye is kind of like Professor X's cerebral that can identify supers from normal humans.**

**Please R&R!**


	4. Chapter 3: Fire Her Up!

**A/N: New update! Yay! This is a bit shorter than the previous chapters but it is essential, I promise. Enjoy!**

**PS: Sky High's still Disney's. Not Mine.**

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**Chapter 3: Fire Her Up!**

The past few days after Albert confirmed her crush on Warren, he would constantly tease Belle about it every after school. Belle was miffed and every time Warren's name was brought up in the house, she would blush scarlet. Albert would laugh and tell her that it's normal for a teenager to develop a crush on someone who's attractive. When Belle's eyes would glow, he'd compliment her and say that Warren may have the same attraction she has if the guy keeps staring at her whenever they were in the same room. Belle would scoff at this and say that it's ridiculous that he would.

Belle was in no ways ugly and she knew that. It's just she thinks that she's not attractive enough for any guy like Warren Peace to take notice of her and thinks that the only reason she was being stared at was because she was the only one in Hero to be friends with a bunch of Hero Support. Or that she was friends with Will Stronghold. Either way, she didn't think that he was staring at her because he was attracted to her.

When she arrived in school that morning, she noticed Warren sitting by the main stairs. She was caught in a memory of his father's teasing and blushed. She tried to look away, but Warren looked up from his book just in time for her to blush. She stopped in her tracks when his eyes met hers and Layla bumped into her causing her to lose her balance and nearly trip over.

"Whoa! What's wrong?" Layla asked as she caught her arm.

"Uhhm. Nothing. Sorry." She smiled at her sheepishly and glanced at Warren. Was that a smirk she saw?

Layla saw her glance at the pyrokinetic and his small smirk and got curious about the exchange. _'What was that?'_ Layla thought. They passed by Warren and Layla took a glance at him, but he didn't look their way.

"That was odd." Will said when they reached their lockers

"What is?" Magenta asked.

"Warren Peace barely looked at us." He answered. "Usually he'd sneer at us whenever we pass by him." He added.

"You mean sneer at you." Belle chuckled.

"You're not exactly friendly with him either, Will." Layla added.

"Why are you defending him?" Will wondered.

"Because compared to you, we don't know what runs in his head. Maybe it's what you think, maybe it isn't." Belle shrugged.

Just as they were leaving, Will bumped into Warren who still holds that brooding look. Will glared at him and when he realized who he bumped into he apologized quietly and continued walking. The rest of the sidekicks followed Will, while Belle stood back a little longer and looked at Warren. She gave him a small smile and she was surprised that he gave her the slightest of nods. She caught up with her friends and bid them farewell before heading to Hero History.

While Belle was putting back her books in her locker, she overheard Gwen Grayson and Penny talking.

"So, I asked Will Stronghold to be the freshmen rep for homecoming." Gwen said. Penny rolled her eyes.

"What's a no-powered sidekick good for the plans?" Penny asked annoyingly.

"Because, Penny, whether we like it or not, Stronghold may be the key to the end goal." Gwen whispered.

"Whatever. You just like him 'coz he's fresh meat." Penny whispered back.

"And I can't wait to have a taste." Gwen smirked which disgusted Belle.

Suddenly, one of the teachers, Mr. Boy started running in the hallway calling loudly for Principal Powers. Gwen and Penny looked at where Mr. Boy came from and looked back at his running form. There were chants, screaming and crashing coming from the cafeteria and they wondered what was going on.

Belle was the first to run as she had a hunch to who were fighting. When she arrived, she just witnessed Will Stronghold gain his powers. He was holding a cafeteria table above his head with no other than Warren Peace standing atop it.

"He's strong?" Layla exclaimed in surprise.

"He's super strong." Gwen commented.

"I'm strong?" Will was surprised to say the least. What Belle didn't expect was for Will to throw the table against a pillar which caused Warren to fly through the air and hit the same pillar.

Warren powered up and tried to intimidate Will, but Will just countered it with a poor battle stance. The fight continued and Belle panicked at the sight of Warren being thrown around, breaking walls, furniture and pillars. As it looks, Warren seems to have the same invincibility as Will as he keeps getting up as if his punches were nothing. _'Well, he has to be if he sets himself on fire when he powers up.'_ Belle thought.

Unexpectedly, a rogue fireball was hurtling towards Belle and people, including her, noticed too late. She shielded herself with her arm, and the fireball singed through her long sleeve and burned her forearm. Layla saw Belle crumple to the floor clutching her bleeding arm to her chest.

"Belle!" Layla exclaimed while running towards her.

Just in time for Will to open the top of a fire extinguisher and pointed it Warren did Principal Powers arrive.

"Isabelle." Layla called her worriedly.

Belle was hissing in pain and her eyes glowed. Layla was about to touch her arm when Belle immediately stopped her.

"Don't!" Belle exclaimed and tried to take her injured arm away from Layla's reach. Layla realized why when she saw her eyes.

"I don't want to hurt you." Belle whispered. Layla looked frantic and she called upon the Principal.

"Principal Powers! Someone's hurt!" she called. Will, Warren, and the Principal all looked at Belle on the floor. Warren's eyes widened in fear and panic when he saw the injury. Belle looked at him angrily and he bowed his head in shame.

"Ms. Evans, please power down. We can't help you if we can't touch you." Principal Powers gently said.

Belle tried to calm her emotions until her eyes dimmed. When it did, the rest of her friends kneeled before her and asked if she was alright.

"Ms. Williams, please take Ms. Evans to the infirmary immediately. The rest of you, go to your classrooms, lunch is over." Principal Powers announced and pointed at the Will and Warren.

"You two, follow me." And she led them out of the cafeteria.

Belle followed Warren with her gaze. Before they got out of the cafeteria, Warren looked at her with remorse.

Belle got patched up in Nurse's Spex office and the nurse asked her to get a few hours of rest while the painkiller worked. After 3 hours in bed, she woke up feeling refreshed. She looked at her injured arm and touched the snuggly wound bandages. When she looked at the clock by the door, there was still more than an hour left before classes got dismissed.

"Nurse Spex?" she whispered when she got up from bed.

"Hmm? Yes, dear? How are you feeling?" asked the elder lady as she looked up from her charts.

"I'm feeling alright. Arm's a little sore though, but that's to be expected. I'm sure Albert will heal me when I get home." She said as she moved her injured arm around.

"Make sure he does when you get home. Don't want it scarring on your pale skin." The nurse winked at her and Belle giggled.

"Can I go now?" Belle inquired.

"Yes, yes. You can go now." The nurse stood up and opened the door for her.

"Thank you, Nurse Spex." Belle smiled at the old nurse before walking towards her lockers.

She wasn't in the mood to get back to class so she decided to skip all her afternoon classes and decided to tour around the campus. She picked up her sling bag from her locker and headed to the east wing of the school.

After passing by some classrooms, she went through a pair of doors that opened to a hallway leading to gymnasium complex. Sky High's gym was huge. It consisted of a total of three floors. The ground floor is where the famous, unique sport of Sky High, Save The Citizen, is usually held. The second floor consisted of two large rooms on either side of the building; a combat dojo and a fitness center. The top floor is where it gets interesting, it consisted of a large dance studio and a small theater on the other side. All floors have shower and changing rooms on the other two sides of the building.

When Belle got to the dance studio, she got excited at how wide it is. It was also soundproof so anyone practicing inside can easily focus on their routines. For her, she was excited to spend her free time here to do ballet. She dropped her bag by the door when she entered the studio and walked around. Mirrors were placed all around the studio except for one side where glass panels were placed instead of mirrors. The glass panels were overlooking the basketball court making the building look hollow in the middle.

She did a little pirouette and ended it with an arabesque and looked at herself in the mirrors. She smiled at herself and went to pick up her bag, peering back inside before she left the studio. Noticing the time, she was surprised that she spent a good hour roaming about the gymnasium. Therefore, she went back downstairs and went back to the hallway she came from, wanting to catch her friends before they all went home.

When she was about to reach the door to the main building, a hand grabbed her uninjured wrist and turned her to face her attacker. In reflex, she powered up to defend herself and her injured hand went straight to her offender's neck. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Warren." she exclaimed. Realizing her mistake, she immediately removed her hand from his neck. Another thing took her by surprise though, when she noticed that Warren barely even flinched from her attack. Especially when she knew for a fact that her power surged through her hand intending to burn her attacker's throat.

"Evans." He said in his deep voice.

"You're…how-" she didn't know how to start but Warren cut her off and surprised her even more.

"I want to apologize." He said softly as if her power never went through him.

"You're-…wait. What?" she was now even more dumbfounded.

"Don't make me repeat it again." Warren said annoyed but a light blush was blooming in his cheeks.

"No. I mean. I know you're sorry, but what I'm trying to say is…." She stopped for a moment, trying to analyze what happened just then. Warren raised his eyebrow at her.

"How? How are you not affected by my powers?" she wondered.

Warren eyed her strangely and realized that her eyes were glowing brightly. And he was still holding her wrist. And yet, he was somehow, unaffected.

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**A/N: Please R&R! 3**


	5. Chapter 4: Save me! Save me!

**A/N: Whaddup! Here's a longer chapter. I had fun writing this as this is the first LOOOONG encounter between Warren and Isabelle. 3 Enjoy!**

**Sky High is still not mine. :)**

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**Chapter 4: Save me! Save me!**

After Will gained his powers, he was immediately transferred to Hero class. Belle was caught in a surprise when in the middle of Mr. Medulla's discussion of freeze rays did Will entered the classroom. He saw her in the middle of the room with her lab partner Courtney, who can create force fields. Belle smiled at him and he gave her a small wave. Since most of the freshmen are already partnered up, Mr. Medulla partnered him with Gwen, even though she was his teaching assistant. Gwen showed off to Will and used her powers when they were building the freeze ray causing Will to get an A+ in his practical test. Courtney and Belle got an A-.

After class, Belle was going to call Will when she noticed that he was no longer at their table. She looked towards the door and saw him following Gwen like a lovesick puppy. Belle shook her head and proceeded to gather her stuff and meet with their friends.

When the gang, minus Will, got their trays after getting food from the lunch lady, they saw Will waving at the other side. He was already seated with Gwen, Penny and a couple of seniors from the Hero class.

"Guys! Over here!" Will called them over. When they got the table, Penny duplicated and filled the rest of the seats.

"Sorry, all full." Penny told them condescendingly.

"That's okay. I think I see an empty table over there." Layla said walking away. The rest of them followed and Belle rolled her eyes. _'Typical, egotistical, assholes.'_ she thought.

Belle saw Warren sitting alone at the far end of the cafeteria, reading while picking on his fries. Warren sensed her gaze and looked up from his book to give her the tiniest hint of a smile. Belle, herself, smiled internally and sat next to Magenta at their chosen table.

"What's that smell?" Belle asked when she and Layla reached their lockers.

"_Tecomoria capensis_." Layla answered. Belle looked at her questioningly.

"Honeysuckle?" Layla answered.

"Ah." Belle chuckled.

"Layla!" called Will as he came running to the two.

"Hey. Wow, you smell nice." Will complimented.

"_Tecomoria capensis. _Honeysuckle, in short." Belle answered and Layla gave her a smile.

"Look, ladies. I'm sorry about earlier." Will said remorsefully.

"About what?" at this, Layla slammed her locker door which caused Will to flinch.

"You know. About lunch?" he answered guiltily.

"What about it?" this time, it was Belle who slammed her locker. Again, Will flinched.

He shook his head and said pleadingly, "Let me make it up to you, guys."

"It's alright. It was nothing." Layla said nonchalantly.

"No, it's not. Please? Belle?" Belle merely shrugged.

"Paper Lantern. This Friday." Will exclaimed which caused Belle to straighten up. _'Warren works there.'_ She thought.

"But you hate Chinese food." Layla countered.

"But you like it." Will smiled hopefully.

"Alright. Paper Lantern. Friday. Eight O'Clock." Layla answered with a smile.

"Alright! Belle?" Will glanced at the blonde.

"I'll try. No, promises. I have ballet classes on Friday nights." She explained.

"Alright." Will grinned.

Suddenly Ethan came running from the corner calling Will's name and vanished just as quick. Will looked at the girls, who just shrugged, and they rushed to where Ethan came from only to see him getting stuffed in his own locker by Speed and Lash.

"Guys! Guys! Please?" Will stopped Lash from pushing Ethan in.

"Come on. Let him go." He told the two juniors who let Ethan go. Ethan ran towards Will.

"You okay?" Belle asked him. Ethan nodded thanks.

"Zach, too?" Will asked and pointed at the locker where Zach was glowing inside. Lash opened the locker and let him out.

"Not so tough, when my boy's around, huh?" Zach threatened Lash and Lash wanted to charge at him, but Will held him back.

"So, what? You just made Hero and now you think you run this school?" Speed threatened.

"You just thing you're big and bad, huh Stronghold?" Lash said angrily.

"Please! Will can totally take you!" Ethan exclaimed.

"You saw what happened to Peace? You want a piece of that?" Zach added.

"Guys!" Belle tried to make them stop before it gets worse, but no one heard her.

"Careful, Stronghold, or that big mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble!" Lash threatened.

"I didn't say anything!" Will defended.

"Why don't we settle this in PE?" Lash offered.

"Settle what?" Will asked, trying to calm the situation.

"You're on!" Zach answered for Will.

"If Will beats you in Save the Citizen, you lay off the sidekicks for the rest of the year." Ethan offered.

"Yeah, if he loses, you can dunk Ethan's head in the toilet every day, until graduation." Zach supplied.

"Yeah! Huh?!" Ethan did a double take at Zach's words. Belle face-palmed at their stupidity.

"You got yourself a deal!" Lash exclaimed before leaving with Speed in tow.

"No, wait!" Will tried to call them back to no avail.

"Why me?" Ethan asked, annoyed.

"Guys! Are you crazy? No freshman ever won Save the Citizen!" Will exclaimed worriedly.

"And you barely know how to use your powers!" Layla added. Belle chuckled.

"Not helping." Belle commented.

"Sorry." Layla apologized sheepishly.

"But yeah, those guys are undefeated." Belle added, causing Will to worry some more.

"Will, you have no choice. You can't let them dunk Ethan's head in the toilet anymore. The dunking must end." Zach explained. Belle rolled her eyes at the dramatics and so did Will who turned his back and left.

"You think he can do it?" Layla asked Belle.

"Honestly? No." she answered dejectedly. "But it's done in partners so, let's hope he gets partnered up with someone he can work with." She added with hope.

When PE period came, the gang was nervous. The sidekicks and heroes were seated on opposite sides of the court. Belle decided to sit next to Warren who was brooding.

"Hey." She greeted. Warren looked up and gave her a small smile.

"Hey." He responded.

"How's your arm?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

"All healed." Belle said happily and even pulled back her sleeves and showed him her pale arm. As if she was never injured in the first place, Warren was surprised to see no traces of his fireball.

"How?" he inquired.

"My butler, Albert. He's a healer and regenerator." Belle explained as she rolled her sleeve back down.

"5…4…3…2…1" the crowd chanted as the dummy who served as the heroes' citizen went lower until it got mulched in a spinning saw contraption. _'Must be built by Mr. Medulla.'_ Belle thought.

"This game is too morbid." Belle commented. Warren smirked at that.

"It could happen in real life, you know." Warren countered.

"You sound like your dad." Belle chuckled. "We've met before, you know. You and I." she added.

Warren nodded at the memory of a small, blonde girl with striking red eyes, walking out from his father's cell.

"I know. I guess having a rare power gives you no choice but to get trained with a villain who can do the same." Warren furrowed his eyebrows.

"It's not so bad. Especially when said villain is not actually a villain." Belle gave him a sincere smile and Warren widened his eyes a bit.

"You know?" he inquired.

"Of course, I do. I kinda have to if I needed another father figure in my life." Belle shrugged.

"What do you mean?" he asked, curious.

"My parents died when I was six. Albert was the one who raised me, took care of me. He became a dad for me. The night I was rescued by Jetstream, she took me to your father. It wasn't easy at first given Barron's history with my mom. When he explained everything to me, we both came to an understanding. Growing up with him being my mentor, I looked up to him. Even more so when he told me why he landed in his cell. From then on, we got along even better. Developed this strange father-daughter, mentor-mentee relationship." Belle chuckled after she explained. Warren paid close attention to her story, smiling at her after.

"If you have been mentored by my dad since you were six, how come I only saw you once?" he asked.

Belle shrugged, "I dunno. I guess fate didn't want us to meet until the time was right." She said nonchalantly.

"I thought it'll be difficult to get to know you. Turns out all I needed was an injury from you." she added teasingly.

"That was an accident." he said as his eyebrows furrowed.

"I know. I was just kidding. I know you're not a bad guy, Warren." she said with a wink and he blushed which Belle caught, and she giggled.

Before he can reply though, he was called out to the court to join Will in Save the Citizen.

"Goodluck." She said as he stood up, looking annoyed.

"Yeah, tell that to Stronghold." He replied before walking down to get geared up.

When the game started, Will and Warren was getting floored by Speed and Lash until Will created a massive vibration on the ground which caused speed to stumble in his step and hit the border. Will used Lash's powers against him and tied him to a pole. Speed, on the other hand, decided to attack Warren and rounded on him. Warren's flames died and he was suddenly gasping for breath as a vortex formed because of Speed. Belle saw Warren struggle for breath and she, too, panicked.

'_They're not going to let him suffocate, are they?'_ she thought. But as the vortex continued and Warren was still on his knees, gasping, she stood up and ran towards the plastic barricade, pounding her fist on it.

"Warren!" she yelled. Everyone in class looked at her in surprise as she kept pounding on the barrier.

Will was about to save the citizen when he saw Speed causing Warring to suffocate. He was torn whether to grab the citizen first or to save his teammate as there were only 20 seconds left. He decided to save the citizen later and went to grab Speed by his collar and make him run straight to Lash. Belle sighed in relief as Warren gathered his bearings but before he can, Will grabbed him by the arm and threw him across the mulcher. Warren realized a split second that he was hurtling towards the dummy and grabbed it, making them win against the villains.

The crowd cheered and nearly everyone went down to congratulate Will. Warren remained in ground lying, as he was trying to get his bearings, but he was still lightheaded and dizzy from the lack of oxygen. Belle, instead of running to Will like everyone else, rushed to Warren and kneeled beside his head. She helped him up as he held his head and breathed in deeply.

"Hey. Hey, you're gonna be okay." She said softly to him. She looked around and saw the freshmen heroes carry Will like a champion. She noticed none of her friends were surrounding him and when she looked at the sidekicks' side of the bleachers, their gang was waving at Will, trying to get his attention but to no avail.

Belle helped Warren up and he saw what she was looking.

"He's gonna swallow up all that fame and get it in his head." Warren wheezed.

"Ssh. Don't waste your breath." She said as she slung his arm around her shoulders.

No one else saw them leave the gym except for Layla and Magenta.

"What was that?" Magenta inquired with Layla while they look at the pair walking to the hallway.

Layla shook her head. "I'm not sure. But I don't think Warren's capable of hurting Belle." Layla whispered.

Magenta shrugged and said, "They look cute together." And smirked at the red head.

"Who does?" Zach asked.

"Isabelle and Warren Peace." Magenta answered.

"What? They're a thing?" his eyes bugging out

"What's a thing?" Ethan asked this time. They hesitated to answer him as they know that Ethan has been crushing on Belle for some time now. At least, that's what Zach told them.

"Nothing, man." Zach tried to say but Magenta told him otherwise.

"Belle and Warren."

"What?" Ethan said dejectedly.

"Maj!" Zach reprimanded. "Your gonna break this guy's heart!" he exclaimed.

"Better he knows now than later." Magenta shrugged.

"She's right. But we don't know anything yet, so let's not assume anything. Maybe Belle is just being friendly?" Layla pacified.

"With Warren Peace?" Ethan deadpanned.

"Yeah, it does sound strange." Layla replied sheepishly.

"Belle will tell us soon, I'm sure." Magenta declared in which everyone nodded.

Meanwhile, in the Nurse's office, Belle laid Warren down in one of the beds while Nurse Spex stood beside him and gave him a check-up. She used her x-ray vision and checked his lungs.

"Well, seems like everything's fine except for your lack of oxygen." She hooked Warren up to an oxygen mask and asked him to relax.

"Thanks, Nurse Spex." Belle smiled at the elderly nurse who smiled back.

"For a tough guy, it's kind of unsettling to see you struggling to breathe." Belle teased as she sat down next to his bed.

"Feel free to leave." he rolled his eyes.

"You're Welcome." She said mockingly. Warren closed his eyes and relaxed as he breathed deeply.

Belle took that time to really look at Warren. For her, he was as handsome as his dad, maybe even better. If he wasn't so burdened with what's going on with his family and what the world thinks of them, he might have a better disposition. She stared at him for a bit longer, admiring his strong jaw and sharp cheekbones. Her eyes went down to his full lips that was covered with an oxygen mask, but despite that, she can easily visualize how soft they looked. Belle blushed at the realization that she just thought of wanting to feel Warren's lips against her own, or any part of her skin for that matter. She shook her head to take those thoughts away and stood up from her stool.

Warren opened his eyes to see her standing stiffly and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Uhmm…I'm gonna go get changed into normal clothes, okay?" Belle said as she rushed out.

She went back to the gym to get changed and after she did, she saw Coach Boomer carrying Warren's duffel bag.

"Evans!" Boomer called.

"Sir?" she asked.

"Can you take this to the nurse's office? The nurse called asking me to get Peace's stuff. I have a meeting with Principal Powers in five minutes." He said as he handed Warren's bag to her.

"Sure, sir." She nodded and easily hauled the bag on her shoulder.

"Thanks kid." He said and he ran off to the principal's office.

Warren was already sitting up talking to Nurse Spex when Belle arrived.

"Hey, you're up. How are you?" she asked.

"Alright."

"I've got your stuff. I bumped into Coach Boomer with him carrying it and asked me to bring it to you. Said something about a meeting with the principal." She dropped his bag next to him.

"Thanks." He said as he rummaged through his stuff and took out another bag which contained his clothes.

"I'm gonna get changed." He declared and went to the changing room.

"It's nice to know that he gained a friend now." Nurse Spex said as he left the room.

"Huh?" Belle asked, dumbfounded.

"He was lonely when he was a freshman. Nobody wanted to get close to him." She said as a matter of factly.

"He's…well, not nice, but…not a bad guy, either." Belle looked towards the changing room.

"One should not judge someone based on the sins of the father." The nurse shrugged.

"Speaking of Warren, I was wondering why he was immune to my powers?" she inquired.

Before Nurse Spex could answer though, Warren came out of the changing room wearing a black shirt, jeans and combat boots. His hair tied up in a short ponytail. Belle was taken a back at the casual look and for her, it seemed that this only made him more attractive.

"Because, I'm a pyrokinetic." He said, getting her out of her thoughts

"And?" she raised her eyebrow.

"Whatever it is related to fire, I can manipulate. Since your power is incineration from the inside, I can control your powers from within me." He answered as-a-matter-of-factly. "At least, that's what dad said." He added with a shrug.

"Well, you're right. Since you're not a pyrokinetic Ms. Evans, you're not immune to his powers. Which explains your injury yesterday." Nurse Spex confirmed.

"Well that seems a bit unfair." Belle chuckled. "But at least I have one less person to worry about in case my powers go haywire." She supplied.

"Your powers may even amplify his." Belle's eyes widened at the idea and Warren smirked.

"If you try to burn me too much, I'll just release it out. Power up even more." He was grinning now.

"Now that's totally unfair. I can't burn you and I can even make you stronger while you can easily roast me alive." Belle crossed her arms in petulance.

Warren ruffled her hair and said, "At least now I have more reasons to keep you." And then he winked.

Belle swatted away his hand and blushed. Warren just chuckled and proceeded to wear his leather jacket.

"We should probably go. English class is starting in 15 minutes." Belle announced and Warren nodded.

"I'll walk you." He offered. "Least I can do for helping me." He added.

"Alright, take care you too. I hope I don't see you both in a few more weeks." Said Nurse Spex shooing them out.

The hallway back to the classrooms wasn't crowded which wasn't a surprise after Will's display. _'They're probably in the cafeteria, celebrating.'_

"I'm sorry." Warren suddenly said.

"For what?" Belle inquired.

"For injuring you yesterday. I guess I shouldn't have been too blind with anger." He said remorsefully.

She held his hand and squeezed it before letting go again.

"It's fine. I understand. It was an accident, really." She gave him a small smile.

She stopped his tracks and stood in front of him.

"On second thought, I have a condition." She smiled mischievously and he looked at her suspiciously.

"Let's visit your dad at the same time." He nodded and gave her a soft smile.

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**A/N: Please R&R! Follows and Favorites are well appreciated. :D**


	6. Chapter 5: Paper Lantern

**A/N: New Chapter up! Took me a long while to finish writing this. Life just gets in the way. Anyway, enjoy this one!**

**Sky high is still ain't mine. :))**

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**Chapter 5 – Paper Lantern**

Warren was in the kitchens when Layla arrived at the Paper Lantern. She looked at her watch and saw that she was 10 minutes early. She took a seat at a corner booth and waited for him.

Over thirty minutes has passed and Will still haven't arrived. Layla was getting worried. Just then, Belle arrived at the restaurant still wearing a black leotard and ballet skirt with a jacket over it. She wore ballet flats on her feet and her hair was pulled up in a messy high ponytail. Belle entered and looked for a booth when her eyes landed on Layla and she remembered that Will was supposed to meet them tonight here.

"Layla?" Belle called as she neared Layla's table.

"Belle." She gave her a small smile. Belle looked across at the empty seat to where Will was supposed to be.

"Where's Will?" she asked with her eyebrows furrowed. Layla only shrugged and looked down. Belle dropped her bag at the seat across from Layla and sat down with her.

"He bailed on you?" she asked gently.

"Looks like it." She said sadly as the potted flower next to them suddenly wilted. _'Hmm. So that's what she can do?'_ Belle thought and realized that she has never seen Layla use her powers in school.

"Maybe something came up?" she tried. Layla shook her head.

"He would call or send a text if something did. He must have forgotten." Layla sadly declared.

Belle took a hold of Layla's hand to cheer her up which the red head was grateful for. A waitress in red Chinese-style outfit went to their table and took their order. Belle ordered some dumplings and fried rice and Layla got herself some beef wonton noodles.

"I guess, Warren was right." Belle whispered after the waitress walked away with their orders and calling it out in the kitchens.

"About what?" Layla asked, curious now that she raised the topic of Warren.

"Will. Having that fame get to his head. He told me when I took him to the Nurse's office after PE." She answered nonchalantly. Layla narrowed her eyes at her.

"Do you like him?" she suddenly asked. Belle blushed scarlet and sputtered. Layla laughed.

Just then, a male waiter arrived with their food.

"Two orders of dumplings and-" the two girls looked up and was surprised to see Warren in a black muscle shirt and a black apron around his waist.

"Hey." Layla greeted in surprise. Belle blushed even more, thankful for the dim lights of the restaurant that it was barely noticeable if she looks away.

"Hey" he replied and gave a look at Belle, who only smiled at him. He placed their orders at the table.

"We go to school together." Layla answered his confused look. He gave an acknowledging nod.

"You're Stronghold's friend." He replied with disdain.

"Yeah." Layla said awkwardly. "We were supposed to meet him here tonight but…"

Belle rolled her eyes.

"Would you like to sit down?" Belle offered, still blushing a bit and scooted over.

"I think I could spare a minute." He was about to sit but he gave Belle a once over first. He blushed at the sight of her cleavage that was a bit exposed from her v-neck cut leotard and the short skirt over her toned, stocking-covered legs. To him, Belle looked even more sexy in her ballerina clothes.

"What are you wearing?" he asked as he sat down next to her, the tray he was holding was placed on the side of the couch.

"I had a ballet class down the street. I got hungry after and decided to come here. My change of clothes is with Albert, who has an errand to run so…I got stuck wearing my ballet clothes." She explained and shrugged.

"Oh." And he looked back at Layla who watched the exchange with interest.

"So, you work here?" Layla asked, curious.

"Except Saturdays." He answered. Belle took her chopsticks and opened the bamboo steamer to reveal 6 pieces of shrimp dumplings. Her mouth watered at the sight.

"So, where's Stronghold?" he asked.

"He bailed on Layla." Belle answered. Layla looked at her noodles and took some in her mouth.

"I'll never understand why your friends with him." He commented. Layla looked defensive.

"Well, when we were in first grade, you remember how in Biology class you're asked to grow lima beans? Well, Will could not figure out how mine was growing so fast. After I while, I took mercy on him and told him about my powers. And we've been best friends ever since." Layla answered proudly. Belle simply smirked with dumplings and rice inside her mouth.

"So, you falling for Stronghold was before or after the lima beans?" Warren suddenly asked. Belle nearly choked on her dumpling and Layla was already coughing.

"I'm not in love with… was it that obvious?" Layla relented after seeing Belle and Warren's "are you kidding me?" look. Warren and Belle nodded at the same time.

Layla slumped in her seat and said, "Great…"

"So why don't you just tell him?" Belle asked.

"Well, I was gonna invite Will to homecoming but there are two problems." Belle raised an eyebrow at that.

"He likes somebody else and she's..perfect." she added.

"Gwen Grayson is NOT perfect." Belle said angrily. This time it was Warren who raised his eyebrow.

"She's a manipulative bitch who thinks she runs the student body. And she thinks every guy has a crush on her." She added.

"Not every guy." Warren contradicted. Belle blushed at that.

"Anyway, Will likes her. A lot. And I can't really compete with her." Layla said dejectedly.

"Oh, pish posh." Belle commented. To her, Layla is one of the most amazing human beings she ever met. Kind, beautiful, optimistic and a true friend which is rare for Belle to find.

"You know what I think?" Warren leaned over to Layla. "To let true love, remain unspoken is the quickest route to a heavy heart." He said in serious tone. Both girls were taken aback and stared at Warren for a few seconds.

"Wow, that's…really deep." Layla commented. Breaking the silence.

"Yeah and your lucky numbers are…" he raised a piece of paper that, turns out, was from a fortune cookie that came with the meal. "four, sixteen, five and forty-nine." He finished. Belle burst out giggling and Layla shook her head, chuckling.

"Let's see what mine says." She cracked open her fortune cookie and read the inscription aloud,

"Love is like war, easy to begin but hard to stop." She looked at both of her companions and saw that Layla had a cheesy grin. Warren was just staring at her.

"What?" she asked Layla.

"So, when are you gonna tell him?" she suddenly exclaimed subtly pointing to Warren with her chin. Both people in question blushed furiously and Layla giggled.

Just then, one of the older Chinese ladies called to Warren in Cantonese and he answered back in the same language which took Belle and Layla by surprise.

"I gotta go." He told them and they both nodded.

The two continued their conversation in Cantonese and both ladies were impressed.

"Why don't you just tell him? It's obvious he likes you too." Layla asked Belle who was still blushing furiously.

"Shouldn't I ask you the same question?" she countered.

"It's different. Will doesn't look at me the way Warren does you." She said in a serious tone. "Besides, if you didn't notice earlier, he was checking you out." She added with a mischievous smile which only made Belle redder if it was possible.

A few minutes after they ate, Layla decided to leave and go home. Belle stayed longer wanted to wait for Albert but so far, her butler was not picking up.

'_He must still be on a meeting with Sasha.' _She thought. She picked up a book from her bag and started to read instead. Without her knowing, Warren was on the other side of the booth, cleaning tables while he watched her. Belle was a mystery for him; he wonders how she can make him feel so sure about himself, confident. However, at the same time, she makes him feel doubtful, like he will never be enough for someone like her so now he wants to be better. To him, Belle was the epitome of beauty, kindness, and grace and he never felt something like this for someone. His heart races whenever she sees her smile at him or see her blush.

He shook his head out of his own thoughts. _'I feel like a hormonal teenager'_ he thought. But then he realized that he is a teenager and now have his first crush. Probably, his first love but he wasn't going there yet.

After cleaning some more tables and leading an old couple out of the restaurant, he looked at the clock and noticed that it was already the end of his shift. And it was closing time and yet, Belle was still sitting there, reading. He went back to the kitchens and changed out of his dirty clothes.

He went to Belle's table wearing a navy-blue shirt and his signature leather jacket. His hair was still tied back into a small ponytail.

"Hey." He greeted in a low voice.

"Hey." Belle noticed the change in attire. "You're done with your shift?" he nodded.

"It's closing time already." He told her and she looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly 11:00PM already.

"Albert's late." She announced.

"Were you waiting for him?" she nodded.

"I should probably walk home." She announced, disappointed.

"I'll walk you home." He offered. She looked up at him with a small blush.

"You don't have to. It's just a couple of blocks from here. I can manage." She said. He leaned down to her and whispered,

"It's dark out and a beautiful tiny lady like you shouldn't be walking alone at this hour." She blinked at him, hypnotized by the sound of his soothing deep voice. She shook her head to clear it.

"Alright then." She relented and packed her stuff.

"Did you just call me short?" she asked, annoyed, when she stood up. Warren simply laughed at her and ushered her to the door.

Warren was right, Belle did feel safer walking at that hour with him by her side. A cold breeze whipped by and Belle pulled her jacket tighter around her. She pulled her ponytail from its constraints and let her hair cascade down her shoulders, warming her a bit. Warren saw this and was mesmerized. Belle looked at him and saw his strange look and blushed.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing." Warren looked away.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, a car pulled up in front of them. Warren got into a defensive stance right away and held Belle's hand. When the car window slid down, Belle saw Albert was driving.

"Albert!" she exclaimed. Warren was still holding her hand.

"Dear God, Miss, I'm terribly sorry for being so late. The meeting with Sasha and the rest of The Lightbringers took longer than expected." Albert explained after he got out of the car and went straight to Belle's sight.

"Sasha? As in my mother?" Warren asked.

"Yes, sir. Your mother." Warren gave him a bow as a greeting. Warren returned it with a slight lower of his head.

"That's alright. I understand. You could've told me though." Belle reprimanded.

"I know, Miss. But my phone died on me and I couldn't find your number on my wallet." He said sheepishly.

"I told you to memorize it. I've got yours in my head." She stated.

"Well, I'll do better to memorize it then, Miss." Albert gave her an apologetic bow.

"Alright, alright, you're forgiven." Belle said chuckling to herself.

"Shall we then?" He was about to usher Belle inside when he noticed her hand was still in Warren's. Albert smirked a little. "Let me drive you home as well, Mr. Peace. I'm sure your mother is already worried about you." He added.

"That's alright, I can walk myself home." He answered.

"Nonsense! Your mother was downright hospitable with me a while ago and I want to return the favor. Besides, I can't just let my mistress's boyfriend walk alone at this hour." Albert smiled teasingly which caused the two teenagers to blush.

"We're not-"

"He isn't-" they said at the same time and yet, Warren was still holding Belle's hand as if it was the most natural thing to do. Albert raised his eyebrow and looked at their joined hands. Both followed his eyes and looked at their hands and blushed.

Warren let go of her hand and cleared his throat. He placed it in his jacket pocket to keep it warm. Belle nearly whimpered at the sudden loss of warmth. She wanted to hold his hand much longer. Maybe all throughout the drive home, if it was possible. Albert chuckled and ushered them in. Warren, being a gentleman, held Belle's hand again in assistance as she went into the back seat, Warren immediately followed but not without noticing Albert's teasing smile.

When they drove off, Belle was gripping the edge of her seat, resisting the urge to hold the hand next to hers. She was surprised though when she felt his warm hand gently grasped hers. She gave him a small smile, but Warren wasn't looking her way though she could see a resemblance of a blush in his cheeks.

They dropped Warren off first and before he got out of the car, he squeezed Belle's hand a bit before letting go.

"I'll see you at school?" Belle asked him. Warren only gave a smile and a nod of his head and got off. They waited for him to get in before driving off and Belle saw his mother. A tall, lithe woman with long jet-black hair and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Albert gave a small wave to Sasha who waved back to him. She saw Belle inside the car and gave her a sincere beautiful smile. Belle gave her a wave goodbye and they drove off.

"You're glowing brightly, Miss." Albert said in a teasing tone which caused Belle to blush.

"Just keep driving Albert." Belle said jokingly. And Albert chuckled.

"You two make a fine couple. I'm happy for you." He added.

"We're not together, Al." Belle stated trying to put conviction in her voice.

"Not yet. But he's just as smitten with you as you are to him. If only you could see how he looks at you." he teased.

"Why does everyone keep saying that? How does he look at me?" Belle wondered.

"Like a man in thirst for water but needs to tread carefully as he wonders if you'll be a salvation or a poison." Albert shrugged. "Quite the same as you look at him, to be honest. You're both drawn to each other."

"I look at him like that?" she wondered.

"What do you think of when you see him?" he asked gently, and Belle blushed.

"Like I want to know what's under that tough exterior but afraid that if I get too close, I'll burn." She described.

"Like a moth to a flame." He said with a smile.

The next morning came and Will told Layla the news that he's going to homecoming with none other than Gwen Grayson. In a state of panic, Layla told Will that she's going too…with Warren Peace.

Belle was unaware of this news so when she saw Layla sitting across from Warren at lunch, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion; and her heart sank from what she heard.

"So, I was going to ask Will to the homecoming dance this morning and guess what? I told him I was going with you instead!" Layla announced with an obvious awkward tone.

Warren saw Belle standing behind Layla and straightened up. Belle took this cue to sit next to Layla. Belle opened her mouth to speak but before anything comes out of her mouth, Magenta suddenly sat next to Layla's other side.

"What are you doing?" Warren asked Magenta, annoyed.

"It's called sitting." Magenta answered sarcastically and looked to Layla and asked something about Tigerman.

Belle raised an eyebrow at Warren who gave her an annoyed look. Again, before either could say anything, Zach came barreling to Warren's side.

"This guy's bothering you, Magenta?" he asked, acting tough.

"Try the other way around!" Warren exclaimed angrily.

"Are we sitting at Warren's table now? I feel so dangerous!" Ethan suddenly said, sitting on Warren's other side.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Does anyone else need a date to homecoming?" Warren exclaimed, obviously embarrassed and annoyed with all the attention. Belle was still looking miffed at Warren.

Layla suddenly burst out with the most awkward sounding laugh Belle has ever heard.

"Ha ha ha Warren, you are funny!" Layla exclaimed and suddenly holding Warren's hand. Belle felt someone passed by their table and saw Will getting dragged by the arm by Gwen. When they passed, Layla looked at Warren pleadingly.

"Please, I'll try to make this as painless as possible." She pleaded, looking at Warren with her wide auburn eyes. Belle felt something ignite in her chest and her eyes glowed a bit which no one noticed.

"So, you're doing this not because you like me or anything, right?" Warren asked curiously, Belle's eyes glowed a bit brighter and this time, Warren noticed but didn't say anything.

"You're doing this to get back at Stronghold." He declared. Layla gave a small nod and looked down at her lunch.

"Then I'm in." Warren grinned. Layla's head snapped up in surprise and Belle's eyebrows furrowed. Warren suddenly dropped his grin and said,

"But I'm not renting a tux." And took his bag and took off. Belle followed him with her gaze.

"Whoa, Belle, what's wrong? Your eyes are glowing." Zach said as he noticed the slight glow.

"What?" Belle's eyes suddenly dimmed and looked at the rest of table and noticed them looking back at her, curious, but in Layla's case, guilty.

"Uhh.." Belle stuttered and looked down at her hands and placed them in her lap. She gave them a sheepish smile.

"Nothing. Must be the hormones. Girl thing." She said awkwardly but Layla knew better, and she felt even more guilty now.

"Well, since Layla's going to homecoming with Warren…" Ethan said clearing his throat and standing up, "Belle, will you-" before he can finish though, Belle's phone suddenly rang.

She took her phone out and noticed a text from an unknown number. Her eyebrows furrowed upon reading the text.

"I have to go." she stood up from her seat and went out of the cafeteria. Ethan sighed heavily as she went out the door.

"Well, that went well." Ethan said, dejectedly, sitting back down.

Layla looked at her hands and looked back up to the door where Belle went out of. Layla felt extremely guilty for what she did. She got blinded by her jealousy that she forgot about Belle's feelings for Warren and didn't thought about how she would feel. She didn't even give Warren a choice and didn't ask if he was already planning on inviting someone else. Tears were starting to gather in Layla's eyes and stood up and gathered her things. She tried to follow Belle but she was no longer in the hallways.

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**A/N: I'll try to update again as soon as possible. To : I will try to do both and incorporate original scenes and stitch it within the scenes from the movie. But so far, i haven't finished plotting the ending of this story so...stay tuned! ^_^ To those who followed and favorited this story, thank you so much! Your support are much appreciated. ^_^"**


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